Latest news with #BE-3PM
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Blue Origin completes 12th human flight to space
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Space technology company Blue Origin successfully completed its 12th human spaceflight and the 32nd flight for the New Shepard program on Saturday morning, May 31. The launch took place from the company's facility outside of Van Horn and took a human crew to the Karman line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. The crew included: K-12 STEM teacher Aymette Medina Jorge; radiologist turned explorer Dr. Gretchen Green; former Panamanian ambassador to the United States Jaime Alemán; businessman Jesse Williams; aerospace executive Mark Rocket; and entrepreneur Paul Jeris. Including Saturday's crew, New Shepard has now flown 64 people into space — including four who have flown twice — among them scientific researchers, educators, physicians, explorers, and entrepreneurs. 'We thank our customers for trusting us to give them the opportunity to appreciate Earth's fragility from above, an experience that truly transforms those who embark on it,' said Phil Joyce, senior vice president of New Shepard. 'We look forward to seeing what our remarkable crew will do with this experience. I am proud of our team's dedication in making these moments possible.' Here is what Blue Origin said about the New Shepard program: 'Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, New Shepard is Blue Origin's fully reusable, autonomous suborbital rocket system built to fly humans and scientific payloads to space. The rocket is powered by one BE-3PM engine, which is fueled by a highly efficient and clean combination of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. During flight, the only byproduct of New Shepard's engine combustion is water vapor, with no carbon emissions.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blue Origin Executes Successful Launch With All-Women Crew
A half-dozen celebrities became astronauts today after a Blue Origin rocket carried them just beyond the edge of space. The flight, which featured an all-women crew, delivers a healthy (and needed) dose of positive publicity for Blue Origin, which is owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Lauren Sánchez, a journalist who is engaged to Jeff Bezos, is one of the women who made the trip to space this morning. 'It is the highest high,' singer Katy Perry said to CNN upon landing. 'I couldn't recommend this experience more.' Other members of the crew include STEMBoard CEO and former NASA scientist Aisha Bowe, film producer Kerianne Flynn, CBS journalist Gayle King, and Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen. It's a star-studded flight crew that made for a high-stakes flight. If the space tourism rocket, known as New Shepard, had suffered a catastrophe, the blowback on Blue Origin would have been intense. But by delivering the celebrities safely back to Earth, the company now has the world's attention. The New Shepard has a successful track record and has carried celebrities before, though this will likely be its most famous run for some time. To reach space, the New Shepard flew past the 62-mile-high Kármán line (100 kilometers), which is the generally accepted point dividing Earth and space. In fact, the flight reached 107 kilometers above sea level and lasted for 10.5 minutes. During the trip, the astronauts were able to experience weightlessness and unbuckle from their seats. The New Shepard, designed for space tourism, uses a hydrogen-fueled, reusable rocket engine (known as BE-3PM) to launch the crew capsule. The engine returned to Earth and safely landed on its pad. At the end of the fight, the crew capsule, supported by parachutes, also landed safely in the desert. Flight NS-31 mission patch. Credit: Blue Origin The crew was allowed to bring objects known as zero G indicators. The item floats, signaling (in addition to the ship's indicators) that the astronaut can float. Nguyen, who is a sexual assault survivor, brought her hospital bracelet. Katy Perry brought a daisy. Lauren Sánchez joins her fiancée, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, in the still small but rapidly growing number of Earth's astronauts. Blue Origin has put both young and old people into space, including Wally Funk, a well-known aviation instructor who was a member of the canceled Mercury 13 space program. She reached space at age 82 on the New Shepard mission with Jeff Bezos. Her record as the oldest person in space was later broken by actor William Shatner, who was 90 years old when he took his flight to space on New Shepard.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Blue Origin flight will only 11 minutes in total. Does spacecraft actually go to space?
Blue Origin's upcoming interstellar trip is set for Monday morning, April 14, from Texas, giving its passengers a front-row seat of Earth from more than 60 miles high. Billionaire Jeff Bezos's space technology company has been offering commercial flights since 2021, ever since the Amazon founder himself boarded the spacecraft for its maiden crewed voyage. The all-female crew consists of celebrities and notable people — popstar Katy Perry, "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn and Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez. The New Shepard rocket, a 59-foot-tall suborbital spacecraft, will only be in the air for roughly 10 to 12 minutes in total. According to USA TODAY, the New Shepard launch vehicle is an autonomous spacecraft designed to be fully reusable, with a capsule that returns to Earth via three parachutes. The rocket is powered by one BE-3PM engine, which propels it to suborbit before restarting to slow the booster to just 6 mph for a controlled landing back on the launch pad. It is named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space. During each launch, the rocket reaches initial speeds exceeding 2,000 mph – much faster than the speed of sound – before the booster separates within a few minutes of takeoff. As the booster lands, firing its engines and using its fins to slow and control its descent, the capsule continues its journey for a few additional minutes. Once the capsule makes a parachute-assisted landing in a remote area, a Blue Origin team is deployed to recover the spacecraft and pick up its passengers. Most of its launches so far haven't had a crew, instead housing scientific shipments and other cargo on board from customers, such as NASA. It has seen a total of 48 people on its flights, including four repeat passengers. Yes! The New Shepard crew capsule will take a brief voyage above the Kármán Line — the 62-mile-high internationally recognized boundary of space. Each spaceflight lasts about 11 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown, allowing passengers to experience a few minutes of weightlessness while in microgravity. The capsule design also features 4-foot windows to gaze down below at Earth. The launch window opens at 9:30 a.m. EDT Monday, April 14, according to Blue Origin. A livestream of the launch will be available to watch via USA TODAY. You can also watch: Blue Origin's website Blue Origin is also providing a YouTube simulcast Blue Origin's X account, coverage begins at 8 a.m. EDT CBS is covering live with a special segment "Gayle Goes to Space" through its streaming service Paramount+, coverage begins at 8 a.m. EDT USA TODAY contributed to this report. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Blue Origin launch: Does New Shepard rocket actually go into space?
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
11 minutes with a window view of Earth: What to know about Blue Origin spaceflights
Blue Origin's famed New Shepard launch vehicle is on the cusp of ferrying its next crew of celebrities and notable people to the edge of space, where its passengers will have a front-row seat of Earth from more than 60 miles high. The commercial spaceflights are ones billionaire Jeff Bezos's space technology company has been offering since 2021, ever since the Amazon founder himself boarded the spacecraft for its maiden crewed voyage. The upcoming flight is also the first in nearly four years with veritable household names that this time includes pop artist Katy Perry and "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King. The spacecraft that Perry, King and four other women are set to fly aboard as early as Monday morning is the same one that 48 others have rode to space on 10 previous human spaceflights. Joining them is civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe, filmmaker Kerianne Flynn and Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez. The New Shepard, composed of both a rocket and crew capsule, will blast off at supersonic speeds after it lifts off from Blue Origin's private ranch facility in west Texas, taking the notable all-women crew high above Earth's atmosphere. For nearly four years since its first crewed spaceflight, New Shepard has served as a poignant symbol of Blue Origin's commercial spaceflight ambitions amid a growing space tourism industry. Bezos company is increasingly becoming a major player in the commercial space industry, competing with the likes of Elon Musk's SpaceX for NASA's business, as well as the business of other private companies. Here's everything to know about the New Shepard rocket that will be at the center of what is sure to be a headline-grabbing flight. Blue Origin launch: Gayle King, Katy Perry among crew of all women launching to space Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, the gum drop-shaped New Shepard launch vehicle is designed to be fully reusable, with a capsule that returns to Earth via three parachutes. The rocket itself is powered by one BE-3PM engine, which propels it to suborbit before restarting to slow the booster to just 6 mph for a controlled landing back on the launch pad. The spacecraft operates autonomously – meaning no pilots are aboard – after taking off from the company's Launch Site One in rural west Texas, more than 140 miles east of El Paso. But New Shepard doesn't just take celebrities on joy rides to the edge of space. In fact the majority of spaceflights Blue Origin has conducted to date with New Shepard haven't even had a crew. Blue Origin has launched the New Shepard plenty of times with scientific payloads and other cargo on board from paying customers, including NASA. For instance, in early February, New Shepard successfully simulated the moon's low gravity on board its capsule during a brief flight. On board was cargo belonging to NASA, which helped fund the mission as the U.S. space agency prepares to send humans back to the moon in the years ahead under its Artemis campaign. The New Shepard's crew capsule can hold up to six people for a brief voyage above the Kármán Line – the 62-mile-high internationally recognized boundary of space. Each spaceflight lasts about 11 minutes from liftoff to capsule touchdown, allowing passengers to experience a few minutes of weightlessness while in microgravity. The capsule also comes outfitted with large windows for them to enjoy the stunning view of Earth. During each launch, the rocket reaches initial speeds exceeding 2,000 mph – much faster than the speed of sound – before the booster separates within a few minutes of takeoff. As the booster lands, firing its engines and using its fins to slow and control its descent, the capsule continues its journey for a few additional minutes. Once the capsule makes a parachute-assisted landing in a remote area, a Blue Origin team is deployed to recover the spacecraft and pick up its passengers. Bezos joined the spacecraft's first crewed flight in 2021 as part of the NS-16 mission, which came after New Shepard flew on 15 flights tests beginning in 2012. With the vehicle's latest crewed flight Feb. 25, 10 of Blue Origin's 30 missions have now carried people to the edge of space. A total of 48 people have flown on the New Shepard, including four repeat passengers. However, the launch vehicle's spaceflights were paused for nearly two years when the rocket was grounded in September 2022 following a failed mission without a crew on board. Despite the mishap, Blue Origin officials have insisted that the capsule is designed to safely abort a spaceflight by ejecting from the rocket and deploying parachutes early if needed – as happened in 2022. The rocket itself crashed back to Earth during the flight with no reported injuries or damage. Blue Origin spaceflights with human aboard then resumed in Man 2024 after the Federal Aviation Administration closed its investigation and ordered the company to make 21 corrective actions. Passengers on Blue Origin's New Shepard have hailed from a variety of backgrounds, and have included tech executives, entrepreneurs, scientists and even a few well-known celebrities. In 2021, both "Star Trek" actor William Shatner and NFL legend Michael Strahan boarded the New Shepard on separate flights. Shatner, who was 90 at the time, embarked on his voyage Oct. 13 that year, becoming the oldest person to ever make a spaceflight. He was joined by former NASA engineer Chris Boshuizen, a Blue Origin vice president Audrey Powers and entrepreneur Glen de Vries. When the crew safely landed back on Earth several minutes later, Shatner could be heard saying the experience was "unlike anything they described." Strahan's spaceflight then came toward the end of 2021 on Dec. 11, when he flew with a crew that included Laura Shepard Churchley, Alan Shepard's daughter. Also on the flight were tech CEO Dylan Taylor, investor Evan Dick, venture capitalist Lane Bess and his child, Cameron Bess. After the flight, Strahan took to Instagram to say "it was surreal." Blue Origin also is developing its massive New Glenn rocket, which launched in January on its maiden flight. The 320-foot-tall heavy-lift launch vehicle, which launched without a crew on Jan. 16 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, is meant to challenge SpaceX in regularly deploying satellites and other cargo into orbit. Named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, New Glenn rivals SpaceX's 400-foot Starship in size. Its first stage, powered by seven Blue Origin engines known as BE-4, is designed to be reusable for 25 missions. Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to know about Blue Origin spacecraft sending celebrities to space
USA Today
04-02-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Blue Origin spacecraft successfully simulates moon's gravity: See video of launch
Blue Origin spacecraft successfully simulates moon's gravity: See video of launch Blue Origin said the mission sets the stage to better enable NASA and other companies with sights on the moon to test technology critical for exploring the lunar surface. Show Caption Hide Caption Blue Origin simulates lunar gravity during New Shepard launch Blue Origin launched a spacecraft that can simulate lunar gravity into suborbital space during a research flight from West Texas. Blue Origin's famed New Shepard spacecraft successfully simulated the moon's low gravity on board its capsule during a brief flight Tuesday morning over West Texas. Video of the uncrewed launch, which Blue Origin livestreamed, shows the New Shepard climbing to the edge of space, where the capsule separated from the rocket to pull off the feat for the first time in nearly 30 missions. Though the daring maneuver wasn't clear from the launch footage – captured both on the ground and from a fleet of drones – it involved the capsule rotating in such a precise way as to create conditions that would mimic the lunar surface. The space technology company, founded in 2000 by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, said in a press release that the mission sets the stage to better enable NASA and other companies with sights on the moon to test technology critical for exploring the lunar surface. The year ahead in space exploration: Uncrewed lunar missions and 1st private space station among 2025 launches What happened during Blue Origin launch from West Texas? The New Shepard launched around 11 a.m. EST from Launch Site One, more than 140 miles east of El Paso in Culberson County, according to Blue Origin. New Shepard is a launch vehicle designed to be fully reusable, with a capsule that returns to Earth via three parachutes. The rocket itself is powered by one BE-3PM engine, which propels it to suborbit before restarting to slow the booster down to just 6 miles per hour for a controlled landing back on the launch pad. The capsule and rocket booster separated nearly three minutes into the flight, and by the fourth minute the capsule had successfully created lunar gravity conditions, according to Blue Origin's livestream coverage. The booster then touched back down within 7-and-a-half minutes of takeoff. Though one of its three parachutes was slow to deploy, the capsule also safely landed just after 10 minutes into the flight in a remote area as a team deployed to recover the craft and its scientific payloads. The company first tried to launch the NS-29 mission on Jan. 28, but called off that attempt due to poor weather and technical issues. How did the New Shepard spacecraft simulate lunar gravity? The New Shepard mission is far from the first to carry scientific payloads to the edge of space, but it was the first to mimic the moon's gravity. The gravitational pull of the lunar surface is about 1/6 that of Earth's, meaning a person who weighs about 100 pounds would feel closer to just 17 pounds on the moon. To simulate those conditions, the capsule had to spin at a rate of about 11 revolutions per minute, providing about two minutes of lunar gravity forces. Previously, the moon's gravity could only be simulated for a few seconds at a time at NASA's zero-gravity research facility using a centrifuge, or for about 20 seconds during parabolic flights, Blue Origin said. The spacecraft carried 30 science payloads, all but one of which was to test technology under lunar-like conditions. Almost all of the cargo belonged to NASA, which helped fund the mission as the U.S. space agency prepares to send humans back to the moon in the years ahead under its Artemis campaign. What to know about Blue Origin's spaceflight missions The flight test comes as Blue Origin continues to become a major player in the commercial space industry – competing with the likes of billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX for NASA's business, as well as the business of other private companies. Named after astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, New Shepard can hold up to six passengers for a brief voyage above the Kármán Line – the 62-mile-high internationally recognized boundary of outer space. Nine of Blue Origin's 29 missions have carried humans to the edge of space, allowing a total of 47 passengers so far to experience a few minutes of weightlessness before the capsule returns to Earth. Bezos himself joined the spacecraft's first crewed flight in 2021 as part of the NS-16 mission, which came after New Shepard flew 15 times without a crew since 2012. The latest launch of the New Shepard vehicle comes less than a month since Blue Origin got its massive New Glenn rocket off the ground for its maiden flight. The 320-foot heavy-lift launch vehicle, which launched without a crew on Jan. 16 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, is meant to challenge SpaceX in regularly deploying satellites and other cargo into orbit. Named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, the New Glenn rivals SpaceX's 400-foot Starship in size. Its first stage, powered by seven Blue Origin engines known as BE-4, is designed to be reusable for 25 missions. Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@
